Everything Has Changed
by wonderstruck13
Summary: After the war, there are a lot of changes in Hermione's life. She has to deal with the trauma of the war while putting her family back together and returning to Hogwarts without her two best friends. Oh, and she finally has the boyfriend of her dreams. As always, there will be humor and romance, but with a little more angst. Told in Hermione's POV. Prequel to Becoming Mrs. Weasley.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: As promised, here is the prequel to my story _Becoming Mrs. Weasley_! It's not necessary that you read that story first, I came up with the ideal of this prequel writing it and decided to give this a shot. However, if you are new to my stories, why not give _Becoming Mrs. Weasley _a try? Anyways, this story will take place right after the Battle of Hogwarts and will carry into Hermione's final year at Hogwarts. The title is taken from Taylor Swift's song by the same name (I'm a major TSwift fan if you haven't already figured it out by my author name), it seemed to fit this story really well. I'm going to make one blanket disclaimer now for the whole story rather than at the beginning of each chapter, and I will add additional disclaimers if necessary as other references/ideas pop up along the way. I think I've rambled enough! I hope you enjoy my new story. As always reviews are lovely and greatly appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter series or any other characters, places, things, ideas from the wizarding wold you might recognize. They belong to J.K. Rowling, a.k.a. the queen of my childhood.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

As I stand with Ron and his family, mourning over the body of their fallen son and brother, I look up to the entrance of the Great Hall to see Harry standing meekly in the doorway. After our encounter in Dumbledore's office a few hours ago, Harry went in search of Kreacher and a sandwich and then went to restore the Elder Wand to its rightful place while Ron and I returned to the Great Hall to visit with his family. I let go of Ron's hand, he looks at me longingly, in need of human contact, but I nod towards our friend who is clearly in a state of turmoil. Ron sniffles and nods his understanding as Ginny pulls him into her side in my absence. Seeing me coming his way, Harry walks out of the Great Hall and leaves the castle for the open air of the grounds. The dust from the battle still hasn't completely settled in the afternoon sun, and I have to squint in order to spot Harry, as if I'm looking through fog. I find him under our favorite beech tree by the lake and jog to catch up to him. I take a seat at the stump as he paces back and forth in front of me.

"You're doing it again."

"What?" he demands impatiently. "What am I doing, Hermione?"

I sigh, trying not to let is biting tone offend me. "You're doing that thing where you blame yourself for everything that's wrong with the world."

"Well, this is all my fault," he says moodily.

I feel my heart ache for my friend as pain flashes across his face. "No, Harry, it's not. This is all _Voldemort's_ fault." He stops and comes to sit next to me. I carry on, "He's the one who started this whole mess. He's the one who decided to kill innocent witches, wizards, and muggles. He had an obsession with power and status. There is no way you could have changed that since it started before you were even born."

"Well, I could have stopped it sooner. If I'd just figured it out before, I could have—I would have—," he trails off, unable to finish his thought of what might have been done differently as he finally breaks down and cries for the first time since this all started. I pull him close and hug him tightly.

Unable to find the right words, I hold him for a while. Eventually, I try to console him further. "Harry, you're only seventeen. That's not even an adult by muggle standards. There's no way you could have been ready for what happened over the last few days, months even, any earlier. What you've gone through? No one should have to go through that, and I'm so sorry that you had to, but we're all here now. There's no use dwelling on what could have been done differently."

"You're wrong, Hermione," Harry finally finds his voice. "We aren't all here now. Fred's gone. Lupin and Tonks are gone and they've left their son alone. Colin Creevey and so many other students that I didn't even know died fighting for me."

He gets up and resumes pacing again. I feel tears sting my eyes watching the pain take over my best friend. Only a few hours ago his only desire was to take a nice long nap, and now he seems too overcome with sorrow to rest. Slowly, I stand and intercept his path. When he almost bumps into me, I put my hand on his arm and explain, "Harry, they didn't die fighting for _you_. They died fighting for what they believed was right. Maybe they believed Voldemort was wrong. Maybe they didn't want their loved ones to live in a place where unjust terror ruled. Or maybe they just believed that you were the one who would save us all. But whatever their reason, you don't get to be selfish and believe that they died because of you."

For a moment we stare at each other and I watch a variety of emotions flash across his eyes before he collapses once again in front of the tree stump. I sit beside him and we lean into each other, both needing support and comfort.

"You're right, Hermione. You almost always are," Harry concedes. "But that doesn't make it hurt any less."

I let out a sigh and admit, "I know."

"Ron lost his brother today," he says after a moment, disbelief clear in his voice.

I feel a sob bubble up in my chest and through a shaky breath say, "I know." I really do begin to cry now and I hug his arm tightly. "We almost lost you today," I mutter through my tears.

Harry doesn't respond right away. He rests his head on mine and the contact soothes me, letting me know my best friend is alive and well. Eventually he whispers, "I know. I'm just so tired, Hermione."

"Then rest, Harry. Let's just sit here and let time pass for a while." He nods groggily against my head and I close my eyes, relishing in the comfort of an old friend.

* * *

We stay down by the lake until the sun begins to set. We haven't moved or spoken in what seems like hours. I suspect Harry is deeply asleep; I too have been drifting in and out of consciousness only to be awoken once and awhile by nightmares. When I hear footsteps walking towards us from behind the tree, I nudge Harry awake and stretch a kink out of my neck. After the last few days, I wouldn't be surprised if I jumped up and pulled my wand in defense upon hearing someone approach from behind, but I recognize the footfalls as belonging to Ron. I unwrap my hands from Harry's arm and scoot ever so slightly away from him. I see a knowing smirk on Harry's face—the closest thing to a smile I've seen from him since before the battle began. I elbow him in the side as a blush creeps into my cheeks. "Shut it, Potter," I mumble.

Rather than laugh like he usually would, he shakes his head and the smirk disappears almost instantly as Ron reaches us. Instead of impish, Harry now looks guilty. Ron on the other hand looks devoid of emotion as he sits down in the space between us that Harry just created.

We sit in silence for a moment until Ron says, "Everyone's staying in the castle tonight. People don't want to leave the injured ones alone. Or the—or the—," he trails off, unable to finish his sentence, but Harry and I can fill it in for ourselves: or the dead.

I notice that I'm holding Ron's hand and rubbing it soothingly with my thumb. When did I grab his hand? Have I completely lost control of my impulses? Is that why I kissed him in the middle of a battle? And only because he mentioned house elves? I feel embarrassed that I've been so unconsciously forward. I try to pull my hand away, not knowing if he really wants the physical contact, but his hand clutches mine tightly and I smile to myself. Remembering why he's so sad, I instantly try to squash the feelings of glee that bubble inside me at knowing that Ron Weasley is holding my hand. I mask my smile with a scowl that feels forced and fake. I look around trying to think of something helpful to say. Out of the corner of my eye, I see that Gryffindor tower is still mostly intact with only a little damage to the roof over what are the girls' dormitories if I'm not mistaken.

"We should get some sleep," I suggest. "It looks like we can use Gryffindor tower for tonight at least."

Ron nods but Harry is unresponsive, silently staring at Ron as he has been since Ron sat down.

"I'm sorry about Fred," Harry blurts out of nowhere.

I hold my breath not knowing how Ron will react, and my thumb freezes the tiny circles it has been drawing on the back of Ron's hand. Ron's head snaps up and looks at Harry as if he's seeing him for the first time since coming out here. "I know you are, but I don't know why you would be," Ron says looking quizzically at Harry. "It's not like you killed him. You didn't make him fight. It's because of you that the rest of us are here. I should be thanking you. You shouldn't be apologizing." Ron says this as if it's the most logical thing in the world and Harry is a fool for believing anything else. He really is a loyal friend, a Gryffindor through and through.

Harry nods as if he's finally hearing what I was trying to tell him earlier.

"Still, I'm sorry your brother didn't make it," Harry repeats himself, hoping that his different wording will help make his point. "He shouldn't have gone like that."

Ron snorts. "He wouldn't have gone any other way. But thanks, Harry." They nod understanding each other and not needing to say more to communicate how they're feeling. I've always marveled at their ability to read each other. I'm actually quite envious that I don't have that with either of them. Well, I can read them remarkably well, but you'd think I have a wall of lead around me the way they misinterpret everything I say or do. Perhaps it's because I'm a girl.

We sit silently for a moment longer and I feel my eyelids droop and my head lolls to the side, leaning on Ron's shoulder. The second it makes contact I jolt awake and jump up from my seat, feeling my knees creak from sitting for so long. "How about that sleep?" I ask nervously.

"That sounds lovely right about now," Harry agrees, reaching for my hand so that I can help him up. I roll my eyes but it feels inappropriate and out of place, as if this exchange is too normal given what we just went through. Harry helps Ron off the ground and we walk towards the castle. I feel awkward and don't know where I should place myself as we walk: to the left of Harry as far from Ron as possible, between Harry and Ron, or to Ron's right? I shake my head at the poetry of the situation. I literally don't know where I stand with Ron. After everything from the last few days, that seems to be my biggest concern at this moment. Maybe I'm exhausted and that's the simplest thing my brain can focus on. Rather than giving myself a mental workout, I settle on a compromise and walk a few paces behind them so that I don't need to deal with the question of physical closeness to Ron.

Upon entering the castle, I find that I no longer need to ponder this question since I'm so focused on not tripping over the rubble that was once Hogwarts. When we finally make it up to Gryffindor tower, we see that some of the Weasley family has assembled there along with the remaining Gryffindors and Professor McGonagall—that would explain why the castle is so empty. The Weasleys—except for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and George who are presumably still by Fred's side—are huddled in a corner away from the students and others who came to join the battle, we make our way over to them just as Professor McGonagall's voice booms through the common room.

"Attention, please! I know you're all anxious to get some sleep and I apologize that you are unable to return to the comfort of your own homes, but we are lucky enough that our tower has remained in tact. However, the roof above the girls' dormitories has been destroyed, so I will ask that the ladies sleep in the common room and the boys use their dormitories and leave the young ladies alone." She shoots a piercing gaze towards the three of us as if she knows we've all been sleeping in a tent unsupervised for the better part of a year.

"Be thankful that you still have a home here at Hogwarts, the Ravenclaws are currently being housed in a variety of classrooms and the Slytherins have been evacuated from their dungeon as a window cracked and the common room is now flooded." We'd later find out that the Hufflepuffs were kind enough to offer them beds in their dormitory.

"We're hoping that the train from Hogsmeade will be up and running again tomorrow, and I am sorry that we had to recast the anti-Apparation enchantments. We needed a method of accounting for those witches and wizards who may have gone missing," Professor McGonagall carries on over the delighted snickers that erupted at the announcement of the destruction of the Slytherin dorm. When she speaks of the missing, which also implies the dead, the room returns to silence. "For now, get some rest and be proud of how brave you all have been, you've certainly earned your places in Gryffindor." I notice that she gives a pointed glance at Neville who is across the room with his grandmother. "I will be by in the morning to update you all."

With that, the common room erupts into sound as the older witches and wizard conjure sleeping pads and blankets for the younger female students to sleep on the floor and the boys slowly dissipate up the stairs. I find myself standing next to Ginny at the edge of the group and notice that she keeps stealing glances at Harry and biting her lip.

"Have you talked to him yet?" I whisper softly in her ear, hoping not to draw attention.

She shakes her head no and before she can say anything more, Professor McGonagall motions for Harry, Ron, and me to come see her.

"I realize that the three of you are the subject of public scrutiny right now," she explains and I look around to notice for the first time to see that people are watching us nervously and whispering to one another. "I would understand if you would like some privacy tonight while you catch up on sleep."

I heave a sigh of relief and look at Harry and Ron who both look too exhausted to respond. "That would be lovely, Professor," I say gratefully.

She smiles weakly and offers, "The girls' dorm on the lowest level seems to be fully intact. The enchantment on the stairs has been temporarily disabled as it has a failsafe in emergencies such as this. You three could sleep there tonight undisturbed; in separate beds of course—you'll find ten vacant as the youngest students were evacuated early. That should be plenty for three people."

I nod in understanding. Lowering my voice so as not to alert Ron, I ask nervously, "Would it be possible for the rest of the Weasleys to use the other seven beds? They've been through a lot and should probably stay together right now."

She looks over my shoulder at Ron and then his downtrodden siblings before returning her gaze to me. "I don't see why that would be a problem. I'll let Molly and Arthur know that there is room for them and George should they want it when I return to the Great Hall."

"Won't you be getting any sleep?" I feel concerned for her since it is unlikely that she has rested and it is not as if she is particularly young.

She smiles sadly at me before responding. "It is the job of the Headmistress to protect the school when it cannot protect itself. I'll be guarding the front door tonight until someone from the Order can relieve me in the morning."

Before I can thank her any further, she walks off and out of the portrait hole. I explain to the Weasleys that we can use the first year girls' dorm for the night and we make our way to our temporary home. Everyone claims beds silently in a very un-Weasley manner since such a task would typically involve fighting over the "best" bed. I find myself assigned to a bed between Ron and Harry and crawl under the covers, pulling the hangings around my four-poster. Soon, sounds of sleep fill the room, but I hear shuddering breaths from the bed to my right—Ron. I climb out of my nest I've created as quietly as possible, pull back the curtains on Ron's bed and see that he is in fact crying as I suspected. He reaches for my hand and I oblige, letting him pull me down to lie beside him. Slowly, his crying subsides and we drift off to sleep holding hands.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

I wake the next day to the sound of a variety of Weasleys tiptoeing around the room. The sun is shining brightly through the heavy curtains so I surmise it must be noon at the earliest. My fingers are still entwined with Ron's and they feel stiff from being locked together all night. I slowly extricate my hand form his, careful not to wake him from his peaceful slumber. Not wanting to alert Ron's siblings to my presence in his bed, I don't get up but rather lay still and listen to what they're saying.

"Did Mum come up last night?" Ginny asks from somewhere across the room.

"No, she stayed in the Great Hall with George," Percy responds. "I heard Dad come up a few hours ago though. He's over there." I assume he's gesturing to one of the bed's that was empty when we all retired for the night.

"We should get down there," Bills voice carries through the dorm. Despite his low volume, his deep tone ensures his voice carries through any room.

"What about them?" Ginny asks anxiously. I assume she is talking about Ron, Harry, and me.

"Let them sleep," Bill says. "They deserve a good rest. Especially Harry," he adds knowingly. She must have been edging towards Harry's bed about to defy his earlier command. I hear her heave a frustrated sigh, and I count the footsteps as they leave the room: Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, and Ginny. Making sure Ron is still soundly asleep, I creep back to my bed and once more draw the hangings around me. I pull my purple beaded bag from under my pillow where I stashed it last night. Using my wand, I summon some shampoo and soap from the bottom—the only thing I can focus on right now is showering. I have a thick layer of dirt, dust, and blood in every crevice of my body and I can tell my hair has reached a new level of untamable.

Quietly, I creep out of my bed and into the adjoining bathroom where I get a good look at myself for the first time in days. My hair is a mess of knots hanging from a ponytail I forgot I'd tied up after leaving Gringotts and I look as if I've been tanning far too much as I'm an unnatural shade of brown. I grab my bar of soap and scrub my face. Cuts on my face and hands that I didn't know I had sting when the soap washes the dirt away from them. Next I move to my hands, scrubbing the grime from under my fingernails. Knowing there's nothing more I can do, I strip off my clothes and step into the shower, letting the hot water soothe my still aching muscles. If I'm this sore and all I did was take the bad end of a few hexes and stay awake for over twenty four hours, I can't imagine how Harry is feeling. Once I'm clean—which seems to take ages—I grab one of the fluffy red towels that are always stocked in the Gryffindor bathrooms and wrap it around myself. I look around the bathroom with the feeling that I've forgotten something, and then I start to laugh. I've forgotten to bring clean clothes.

With a sudden burst of inspiration, I decide to use my wand and clean my dirty clothes that I just took off so that I can sneak back into the bedroom and grab actual clean clothes. I look around on the counter for my wand and realize that I must have left it in the other room. With an actual whimper of panic, I give myself a resolved look in the mirror and determine that I must sneak into the bedroom—which is currently filled with three sleeping boys—to get a new set of clothes. Securing my towel to the point of suffocation, I slowly open the door and tiptoe back into the room. However, having never lived in this specific room, I don't realize that the floorboard at the foot of Ron's bed creaks so I step on it as I walk by. I hold my breath as I hear him shift behind the drapes. I really begin to panic and scramble carelessly towards my bed, ripping the curtains back in an attempt to find sanctuary.

"Hermione?" His sleepy voice carries through his now open hangings. My whole body tenses and I hold my towel even tighter, which is not helping my current state of hyperventilation. Slowly, I turn towards Ron whose face turns from confused to embarrassed all at once.

"Er—good morning, Ron. Perhaps you wouldn't mind closing your eyes until I can hide in my bed and change?" My voice is significantly higher pitched than usual.

He closes and opens his mouth about ten times before he gains enough composure to respond. "Yes, of course. Er—actually, I think I'll shower, too, now that I'm awake."

"Oh, go ahead." I sigh with relief knowing I'll be able to change without needing to worry he'll rip the curtains open around my bed accidentally or otherwise. "I left the shampoo and soap in the bathroom."

"Yeah, thanks." I nod and jump in my bed as carefully as I can without letting my towel fly open and then pull the drapes closed. "Uh, Hermione?" There's a wave in the heavy fabric as he knocks before pulling the curtain back as carefully as he can manage.

"Yes, Ronald?" I ask, actually starting to get annoyed that the boy doesn't seem to want to let me get dressed.

"I need some clothes first. You have them all in your bag."

"Oh, of course!" I blush with embarrassment at my stupidity. I reach for my wand on the nightstand and Ron beats me to it, handing it to me so that I don't have to reach too awkwardly while still holding my towel. "Thanks," I mumble. "_Accio!" _I point the wand into the bag, which still sits on my bed and a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, socks, and a pair of Ron's boxers flies into a neatly folded stack beside me. We both blush at the appearance of his underwear, something that neither of us would have blinked an eye at only forty eight hours ago—when you wash someone's dirty laundry for months, you aren't surprised by their choice of undergarments.

"Right, well, I'll see you soon," Ron rocks back on his heels and turns towards the bathroom after lingering a little too long. I do believe I saw him lick his lips before he turned away. Didn't Ginny tell me once that when I boy does that it means he wants to kiss you? Or maybe it means he's hungry? Knowing Ron, it's probably the latter.

As I summon my own clothes and begin to get dressed in the dark makeshift dressing room that is my bed, I think back on the kiss Ron and I shared just yesterday. It's a moment I'd dreamt about for so long and now I fear I've ruined it by attacking him in the middle of a battle. Losing my senses over the fact that he thought of house elves? Am I _twelve_?! I've always prided myself on being logical and that kiss most certainly was not logical. And now all I can think about is whether or not there will be a second one, because, Merlin, do I want there to be a second kiss! I hear the bathroom door shut and footsteps walking back towards my bed. Ron must be out of the shower.

I pull the hangings back and step quietly out of my bed to put on my shoes. Silently, Ron leans down beside me and does the same. He is rather close to me—farther than he was while we slept last night, yet closer than we were walking back to the castle from the grounds—and I feel my heartbeat pick up nervously. I hope he doesn't notice in this silent dorm.

"Want to go for a walk?" He asks once he's done tying his shoes and we both stand to face each other.

I gulp back my nerves and reply. "Yes, of course. But don't you want to go down to the Great Hall to see…your family?" I catch myself before I can say Fred. Knowing me for seven years, Ron realizes my mistake and looks down at his shoes, kicking an invisible dust bunny.

"Honestly, I don't think I can face them all right now. Maybe later." I stare at him sadly, not knowing what to say until he regains his composure and asks again, "So are we going for that walk?"

"Oh, yes. Let me just leave a note for Harry and we can get going."

He nods and I rifle through the drawer in the bedside table abandoned by the first year girl who used to live here. I find a quill, ink, and a square of parchment with one side blank and the other full of scribbles from a game of MASH. I scrawl a note to let Harry know where Ron and I have gone and tell him I've left my bag on my bed should he need clean clothes. When I'm finished, Ron is already standing by the door and I go to join him. He holds out his hand for me and I stop in my tracks unable to figure out what I'm supposed to do. Suddenly, he looks unsure and drops his hand to his side, trying to make it look like he was just stretching out a kink or something. I instantly regret my decision not to take his hand and stare down at the ground as we make our way out of the dorm, through the common room, and into the dilapidated corridors of Hogwarts.

Neither of us wants to bring up the topic of last night or Ron's grief over the loss of his brother, so we walk in silence until we reach the entrance to the castle. Just outside the Great Hall, some house elves have set up a table where they are serving breakfast since the Great Hall is currently filled with the dead and their loved ones. Realizing how long it's been since we've eaten, we each take a plate and stack it with toast, eggs, and sausage before taking our food out onto the grounds. Our spot under the beech tree is unoccupied, so we soundlessly agree to sit there and eat. After we've eaten enough to fuel our bodies through a conversation, I try to think of something to say. I can't think of anything really thought provoking, so I ask, "How are you Ron? Are you okay?"

I feel stupid for asking, but after his crying last night and my accidental snub this morning, I need to know that one of my best friends isn't going off the deep end.

"I'm as okay as I can be. I mean my brother is dead. My best mate _almost _died. I should be really upset right now, and I am, but I'm also really… happy."

I put down my fork and look into his blue eyes full of confusion and conflicting emotions. "How so?"

"Well, the wanker who's been trying to off my best mate and all of the muggleborns with him is finally dead. So I think that's a cause for celebration. And then of course there's the fact that this girl I've liked for a while now who was also at the top of said wanker's kill list no longer has a target on her back." I feel myself blush crimson at the mention of a girl he's liked _for a while now_. I hope to Godric he's talking about me. "Oh and the fact that she kissed me yesterday."

"I hope you're talking about me," I say self consciously, realizing suddenly that some other girl could have snatched him and snogged him as well during the battle. It's not as if I'm his keeper and I had an eye on him the whole time.

"Of course I am! Do you think I have a line of hussies waiting to snog me senseless in the middle of a battle?" He laughs as if I've just asked the stupidest question in the world.

"First of all I am no hussy, Ronald. And secondly, it sure seemed like it last year when Lav—," I don't finish my sentence as I trail of realizing that I don't know how Lavender Brown is doing and I don't want to speak ill of her right now. Madam Pomfrey was able to work some magic on her after the attack, but as of yesterday she still wasn't sure if she'd make it when the healers came to take her to St. Mungo's.

Ron's smile falls at the accidental mention of his ex-girlfriend. "This may be heartless, but I'd rather not talk about her or anyone else right now. That's just bound to make me depressed. I really want to talk about…us."

Us? There's an us? "Er—okay. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, first off why did you kiss me?"

"Because I like you of course!" Now he's acting like the idiot. Can he really not put it together after all of this time? "It's not as if I _planned _it to happen that way. I just knew there was a chance one or both of us might not make it and I needed to know that if either of us… died that either way I would leave this earth having kissed Ron Weasley." Why couldn't I have said that when I was looking for something intelligent to say earlier? Seeing the squinty, thoughtful look on Ron's face I feel instantly horrified. "Did you not want me to kiss you?"

"What?! Of course I did. I just wasn't expecting it. And I'd always imagined that I'd be the one kissing you first."

"Oh really?" I scoff. Nonetheless, I feel relieved knowing he doesn't regret the kiss and cheerful because he's put some thought into kissing me.

"Yeah, Isn't that the gentleman's job?"

"Well, it's too late to change it now." I am annoyed that he is implying a girl can't be in charge in a relationship and set the boundaries.

"I suppose so. But it's not too late for this." He inches towards me and I instinctively tense up, unsure of why he's getting closer and closer to me.

"For what exactly?" I squeak as he reaches for my hands and clasps them in his.

His face is now inches from mine and I can feel his breath tickling my nose as he leans down to whisper, "To get us over the awkward moment that is the second kiss."

I swallow a lump in my throat and my eyes flutter closed as he inches even closer. I can feel the air shift as his lips are mere millimeters from mine.

"Hey." I hear Harry's voice from just behind the tree and Ron and I leap apart before Harry can notice that he just interrupted what was almost our second kiss. Can he sense the disappointment that lingers heavily in the air? Ron and I now sit with an almost unnatural distance between us and I busy myself with twirling my fork around in my now forgotten breakfast. Ron acts similarly, crumbling the remaining crusts of his toast between his fingers. Harry sits down in the giant gap between us and sets a plate of breakfast in his lap.

I notice he smells of soap and he is now wearing clean clothes. He still has bags under his eyes and scrapes and bruises are clear all over his face and arms. "Did you sleep okay, Harry?"

"Yeah, like a log. Nightmares though," he says between mouthfuls of eggs.

Ron nods. "I just kept seeing them. You know, everyone who…" He doesn't finish his sentence since we both know he is talking about everyone who died during the battle.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asks and then to clarify adds, "Your parents? Your brothers? Ginny?" He tacks Ginny on as if it was an afterthought, it's clear to me that she's at the top of his list of people to talk to now that Voldemort is gone. I try to hide a knowing smirk from Ron but Harry catches it and discretely elbows me in the side.

Seeing that Ron is now staring off across the lake, trying to avoid thinking about what his family is doing right now, I answer, "They're in the Great Hall. They still haven't moved the bodies." Seeing that Ron is becoming more and more melancholy, I grapple with a change of subject. "Do you know what you're going to tell everyone, Harry? About what happened in the forest?"

"I haven't thought about it honestly." He sets down his fork and stares thoughtfully across the lake. "I reckon I'll tell Ginny everything eventually." I see Ron give Harry a suspicious glare at the mention of his sister. However, Harry doesn't notice and continues speaking. "But I don't think all of the wizarding world needs to know just how terrible Voldemort was."

"I'm pretty sure they already know that, mate," Ron interjects.

"They don't need to know about the horcruxes," I interpret Harry's meaning aloud.

"Exactly. If Dumbledore removed all of the books about them from Hogwarts then that's reason enough for me that we shouldn't be teaching people how to make yourself immortal."

"But isn't it better to inform people, Harry? So that they can understand?" Maybe it's the part of me that should have been sorted into Ravenclaw, but I cannot begin to understand why we should withhold knowledge from the public.

"When people are ready to know, I'll set the record straight," Harry speaks with clarity and wisdom. I wonder if he's been to visit Dumbledore's portrait again before coming to join us. He does seem much more lighthearted this morning, well, as lighthearted as one can be given the circumstances. "There are too many people out there right now that would be willing to copy Voldemort in an attempt to recreate his regime. I think for now, people need to know that there's something stronger than all of that evil."

"Like what?" Ron asks, the same confused look he gets when writing a challenging potions essay crosses his face.

Admiring the smattering of freckles across his scrunched up nose, I recall what Harry told us yesterday about why he was able to come back when Voldemort once again used the Killing Curse on him. Softly but with certainty I answer, "Love."

Feeling that Harry is watching my contemplative gaze of Ron's face I become flustered and look determinedly away. I pull my wand from the pocket of my jeans and begin twirling it in my right hand, absentmindedly creating purple sparks as a distraction.

"Yeah, love," Harry repeats. As if on cue, we hear footsteps approaching our tree and I glance up from my mini fireworks show to see Ginny approaching us.

I clear my throat to get Ron's attention. He shoots me a confused look before noticing his sister drawing nearer. Putting on his protective older brother face, he scowls at Harry and warns, "Don't screw this up, Potter."

"Yes, well, we should get these plates in to the house elves, Ron. I'm sure that they're going crazy looking for three missing plates and we wouldn't want to cause them any permanent mental anxiety." I gather the three plates into a stack, which Ron takes chivalrously from me. I blush and stare at the ground, avoiding his gaze as we trek back to the castle. Once I've recovered my composure, I notice that Ron is walking with an added anger to his steps.

"Are you okay, Ron?" I ask with a sense of déjà vu.

"He'd just better not say or do anything stupid. She's been through too much this year and I swear to Merlin if he breaks her heart again, I will break his face. Savior of the wizarding world or not."

"Oh please, Ron. You couldn't hurt a single hair on his head even if you wanted to." I roll my eyes recalling all of the times in their friendship when they've been closer than friends and even brothers.

He grumbles, "Doesn't mean I wouldn't try."

* * *

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Glad to hear from both new and old readers enjoying the story. I start school this week, so I want to try getting on a biweekly posting schedule. So the next new chapter will be posted two weeks from today. I hope you like the new chapter! Reviews are always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

When we enter the castle, I veer towards the Great Hall, but Ron heads for the stairs as if he's going back to Gryffindor Tower. I halt in my tracks and call, "Ronald, where are you going?"

He turns, already on the third stair, and rolls his eyes. "To Gryffindor, of course. And you call yourself the cleverest witch of our year."

I see him glance nervously over my shoulder at the doors to the Great Hall that stand slightly ajar. I approach him and stand at the base of the stairs so that he towers over me from three steps above. "Don't you think it's time you go see your family? You've avoided them all day."

"Hermione, this is none of your business so stay out of it." He demands, suddenly angry.

I take a step back and say calmly, "I didn't mean to upset you, Ron. But I think your family needs to be together right now. You've always been so close—well, except for Percy—and I honestly think it will help you to be with the family you have left."

We stare at each other for a moment before Ron spits back, "If I wanted a lecture I would've misbehaved in front of McGonagall."

Now it's my turn to roll my eyes. "Oh how thoughtful. I was only trying to help, Ronald."

"Yeah, well I didn't ask you to help. It's not like you're my girlfriend or anything!" He practically shouts and his voice echoes eerily through the empty entrance hall.

Angry tears sting my eyes, and I try to fight them back but fail when the anger mixes with the sadness of everyone we lost just yesterday and the knowledge that they're lying behind the doors that Ron refuses to go through.

Through hot tears now spilling down my cheeks, I say, "If you insist on being difficult, then that's your prerogative. But I'm going in there to be with your family since I can't very well find comfort in my own right now." My voice is not much louder than a whisper but there's fierceness to it and the emptiness of the hall ensures that Ron hears every word. Before he can stomp on my heart any further, I turn on my heel and march into the Great Hall.

I spot the Weasleys easily—a patch of red hair huddled together near where the Gryffindor table would normally be situated. I quicken my pace as I make my way towards the grieving family. Upon reaching them, Mrs. Weasley looks up and surveys the area directly beside and behind me, clearly looking for any sign of Ron or Harry. When she realizes I'm alone, she bustles towards me and wraps her arms around me in a motherly hug.

"Hermione, dear," she greets me. Her voice is strong and soothing, not shaken and upset as I'd expected it would be. "Thank you for coming. Any sign of Ron or Harry?"

"I'm right here, Mum," Ron's voice calls from behind his mother's back. She turns and steps out of the way and I can see the resigned look on his face that he gets when he knows he's said or done something wrong. But there's a hint of shyness and sorrow written in his eyes as well, as if he's afraid to see Fred again after leaving his side yesterday.

"Oh, Ron!" Mrs. Weasley sweeps her son into a bone-crushing hug and I watch as he tries to hide the fact that he's crying from his family. I avoid making eye contact with him since I think it will only embarrass him further after the things he said to me in the Entrance Hall. Instead, I find myself shuffling towards the back of the gathering of his family where I end up standing next to Fleur.

"Did Ginny end up finding 'Arry?" She asks quietly, not wanting to disturb the family moment ensuing before our eyes.

"Yes, he was down on the grounds with Ron and me before we came back up to the castle. I'm sure they're talking now. Or snogging," I add thoughtfully.

"No, no! I'm sure zey are just talking. With you on ze run, she ended up talking to me when she needed a girl to talk to, you see. She was 'eartbroken when 'Arry left."

I feel a familiar sense of guilt overtake me that I haven't felt since almost a year ago when Ginny would pepper me with questions about what Harry so urgently needed to do. While I do love Ginny and I feel badly that she does seem to always get pushed to the side, my loyalties did lie with Harry and I was just as tightlipped as him.

"I don't think Harry did much better with the separation than she did. He did what he felt he had to do," I defend my best friend so that Fleur knows he wasn't just being cruel to Ginny.

"Of course, but to a girl in love, zat is not ze way it seems. She only felt ze 'urt of being left behind by a boy who could be killed at any moment. Can you imagine 'ow zat felt?" Fleur asks and the question hits me harder than I think she intended. I steal a glance at Ron Who is now standing next to Percy, chatting solemnly but kindly, and I recall how it felt when he left Harry and me in forest.

"Yeah, I think I can picture how that feels," I mumble.

She must have taken note of my eye line before I could stare back down at my shoes because she says knowingly, "'E regretted leaving you, you know."

"He made that quite clear," I grumble, but with less bitterness and more admiration at the fact that Ron did eventually come back.

"No, I mean 'e regretted leaving _you _specifically, not 'Arry."

"He does a bloody good job of showing it," I complain kicking at loose stone in the floor.

Fleur laughs, a sound that seems out of place here, but it's light and fleeting as opposed to her usual charming giggle. "Oh, 'Ermione. I recognize ze look Ron gets when 'e sees a girl 'e likes. I was on ze receiving end of it once. An zere is no doubt in my mind zat Ron Weasley likes you as more zan just a friend."

I blush and struggle for something to say. Thankfully, I'm reprieved of this task as Bill comes over and pulls Fleur towards him by wrapping an arm around her waist, successfully distracting the French relationship guru. Alone, I now feel slightly out of place as I dither behind the gathering of Weasleys minus Ginny. I wander the down the hall a bit further where I see Lupin and Tonks lying peacefully next to each other. Andromeda sits on a bench by their feet, holding a bundle of blankets, which I gather is Teddy Lupin.

"Hello, Mrs. Tonks," I say shyly, unsure as to whether or not she will want company.

She looks up at me with bleary eyes. "Oh, Hermione. Please sit."

"I'm sorry you lost your daughter," I offer my condolences awkwardly but it doesn't seem to be enough. She has also lost her husband in this mess and the father of her grandchild. She is now left with the task of raising a child alone.

She nods and sighs. "I accepted the fact years ago that the only way my daughter would leave this world was fighting. I'm more sorry for him," she says looking down at her grandson and holding him tightly to his chest. "I didn't want to bring him here to see them like this, but Minerva owled me to let me know a train would be running from King's Cross to Hogsmeade this morning and I should come take care of business here. I had no one to watch the poor child. I think he's owed a goodbye to them, anyhow. And where better than in the place where they so bravely lost their lives?"

I struggle to find something to say and think about Harry who lost his own parents at the hands of Voldemort. "It really is a shame he'll never know his parents," I say looking down at Teddy's sweet face and blue hair.

"Yes," she agrees sadly. "But he'll have Harry and you all to tell him all about the amazing things they did. He will be loved by so many that maybe it will make up for growing up without his parents."

"Perhaps," I concede halfheartedly. He will certainly have an easier time than Harry did—living with a grandmother who loves him and having a godfather there to help instead of the Dursleys to lie about his past until he is eleven—but I know he will still miss them everyday, a feeling he doesn't feel entitled to since he doesn't even have real memories of them.

"Would you like to hold him?" Andromeda asks, breaking me from my silent contemplation of the struggles this boy will surely face.

"Oh, I couldn't take him away from you," I refuse, taken aback by her sudden offer to hold the baby. Honestly I've never held a baby and being around them makes me quite anxious.

"No, I insist. My arms are getting quite tired and you were one of his dad's favorite students. I'm sure he'd be happy to see you holding his son."

Now I feel as if I can't possibly refuse, so I nod and hold my arms out awkwardly for her to hand me the baby. He's heavier than I expected, having never held a baby before, and he stirs quite a bit—that must be the Tonks in him. He smiles up at me and blows a few spit bubbles. I feel the urge to explain myself to him even though he's only a few weeks old and can't possibly understand what I'm saying.

"Hello there," I whisper quietly, leaning down close to his face as if it will help his comprehension. I remember reading somewhere that babies have poor eyesight when they're born, so I hope that being close to him will give him the opportunity to start learning my face since I suspect I'll be spending a good deal of time with him as he grows up.

"Your dad was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher I ever had. Well, that seems a bit silly to say given our current location, but I thought you should know that he really went out fighting. He knew what he was doing. And your mum, as well. I've never met a woman as tough as her. She was inspiring. They both were. You look like them." I marvel at the way his face—that he will obviously be able to shift as he chooses once he gets the hang of it—is a clear blend of his mother's and father's features. I'm taken aback by the resemblance for a moment before I regain my composure and resume talking to this tiny baby even though he doesn't understand a word I'm saying.

"You're very lucky you know. Thanks to your mum and dad, you'll never have to grow up being afraid of Voldemort. You're grandmother is going to take good care of you, and your godfather, Harry, is really cool. I'm sure he'll teach you all of the ways to cause trouble when you eventually come back here as a student."

I say the last part quietly as if it's a secret that I don't want Andromeda to hear. I can't think of anything else to say, so I hold the tiny baby as he drifts to sleep until his grandmother takes him away having given her arms enough rest. I feel as if I'm intruding once again on a family moment, so I poke my way back to the Weasley family where Harry and Ginny have also joined the group. They must have gotten back while I was absorbed in talking nonsensically to a child who can't understand me. I see that they're holding hands and smile to myself knowing at least they've sorted out their issues. I take a seat next to Harry, still avoiding Ron who is chatting with Bill and Charlie on the other side of the group.

He looks up and greets me as I sit. "Have you seen Teddy?" I ask, nodding down the table towards Andromeda and her grandson.

"Not yet," he says guiltily. "I know I should, but it's too hard right now."

I look at his hand still entwined with Ginny's on his other side. She's talking with her father and Percy oblivious to Harry and me. Once again, I gesture with my head to point out their knotted fingers and say, "Baby steps."

Harry blushes. "You don't miss anything, Hermione."

"Yes, well, someone needs to be the observant one in the bunch. But really, Harry, you deserve to be happy. If being with Ginny is what makes you happy right now, then that is what you should do."

"Thanks, Hermione," he mumbles embarrassedly.

Seeing Andromeda gently rocking Teddy out of the corner of my eye, I can't help giving Harry a gentle reprimand. "You really should go see them soon though. He's beautiful. And I honestly think talking to him made losing Lupin and Tonks a little easier. As if I was talking to both of them. You'll see what I mean when you get a good look at his face."

Harry nods and agrees, "Yeah, I'll see him later tonight. Right now I just need to stay right here."

I silently give my approval and take a look around the Great Hall. Every few feet lays a body surrounded by loved ones. House elves walk silently up and down the aisles offering tissues, water, tea, and sandwiches. I see Professor McGonagall approach Dumbledore's old spot at the staff table where he used to give his speeches before feasts. I nudge Harry's side and say, "Looks like you chose a good time not to go anywhere."

Sure enough, McGonagall clears her throat and begins to speak. "Attention please! I'm sorry to interrupt your grieving, but I have a few announcements. First, on behalf of the whole wizarding community, I'd like to give my thanks to your lost loved ones for the sacrifice they made in fighting in this battle. We've lost many along the way, as well, and I'd like to take this time to honor everyone who lost their life in this war against Voldemort and his supporters."

The already quiet hall is penetrated by an even deeper silence. I can't bring myself to look up from the spot on the floor I've been staring at since McGonagall began speaking. Surely if I did, I'd make eye contact with Ron who I fear has been staring at me for quite a while.

Before the silence can become awkwardly long but after a respectful amount of time, McGonagall continues. "Thank you. Secondly, we have recorded the names of all of the fallen in the battle and in the reconstruction of Hogwarts, we will erect a memorial to them. While I cannot permit anyone to come and go from Hogwarts as they please since that would be a safety risk to the students, you are all welcome to come visit the memorial each year on the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts.

"Finally, while I don't want to disturb the grieving process of anyone in this room, I do have a duty to restore Hogwarts to its former glory. Thankfully, Hogwarts has deep rooted magic and its original builders cast powerful enchantments that would ensure this castle would be able to rebuild itself from its own ashes. However, this cannot be done with hundreds of witches and wizards and a few muggles," she glances at the Creevey family huddled in the back of the room, "inside. With that said, I must ask that we all plan to be out of Hogwarts by noon tomorrow. The Hogwarts Express will be running from Hogsmeade village to King's Cross today at three and eight o'clock and again tomorrow at one, six, and noon. The rest of the staff and myself would be happy to help with arrangements for moving your loved ones and we will be posted throughout the hall for the remainder of your time here."

Her speech ends and it lacks the finality with which Dumbledore used to finish speaking. Yet I can't fault her for her imperfect and seemingly emotionless conclusion. How many times can you really say sorry and thank you before the words lose their meaning? As Professor McGonagall steps down form the staff table, mourners asking for assistance instantly surround her. The Weasleys, Harry, and I turn to Mrs. Weasley for our instructions. We wait patiently while she pats Fred's arm lovingly and brushes a tuft of hair off of his forehead. After she seemingly says goodbye to Fred, she turns to George who is seated on the bench behind her. She rests a hand on his shoulder and lifts his chin so that she can properly look at his face. Upon seeing the life in his eyes, however sad it might currently be, a fire seems to be lit beneath her and she leaps into action.

"Weasleys," she commands our attention even though she already had it. "I don't know about you, but I think we all deserve a good night's rest in our own beds. I say we take the Hogwarts Express tonight—it will be the easiest way to bring George home for the funeral. Arthur, can you contact Kingsley and see if we can get a Ministry car from King's Cross?"

Thankful to be given a job to occupy himself, Mr. Weasley launches off his seat and announces, "Of course. I just hope he hasn't already been flooded with requests from other families." When his wife shoots him a don't-mess-with-me glare, he quickly adds, "But I'll keep trying until he does us this favor."

Mrs. Weasley gives her husband a thankful smile as her mood shifts instantly. We all let out a sigh of relief we didn't know we were holding in at the possibility of a grief-induced tantrum from the matriarch. Mr. Weasley bustles out of the Great Hall to contact Kingsley.

"Bill, Fleur, Charlie, Percy, of course you lot don't have to take the train back to the Burrow with us if you'd rather Disapparate from Hogsmeade to your own homes," Mrs. Weasley launches back into giving her orders.

"No, Mum," Bill interrupts, "we should stay as a family right now."

"I agree," says Percy. "I'd rather like to sleep in my old room. If you haven't converted it into a guest room that is," he adds as an afterthought.

Mrs. Weasley looks as if she's about to breakdown and cry tears of joy at welcoming her son back into the fold and having her whole family under one roof. Instead she pulls Percy into a hug so tight I'm afraid his eyes might pop out.

"Right then," she clears her throat before continuing anew. "We only have ten minutes to prepare ourselves for the three o'clock train, so we'll meet back here at six to walk down to Hogsmeade. I know it seems early, but with this many people, I'm sure it will be crowded and I want to make sure we get enough compartments. I'll stay here with George, but the rest of you are free to do as you please as long as you're back in three hours."

There's a nervous shuffling about as if no one wants to admit that they'd rather not spend more time in this room filled with dead bodies. It seems wrong to be out celebrating the victory over Voldemort when there's so much to be sad about in here. Yet we've all fought for so long. Don't we deserve a little celebration?

Bill, Fleur, and Charlie lead the way out of the Great Hall and Harry, Ron, Ginny, and I follow their example. Once we're in the Entrance Hall, I hear Percy run to catch up with us. Charlie stretches and twists a few kinks out of his back. "Anyone fancy a game of Quidditch?" He asks. "It may seem insensitive, but I think Fred would want us to celebrate a little. And flying will help us get our minds off of things."

There are grunts and nods of agreement before Harry pipes up, "Just one problem. Does anyone have any brooms?"

"There should still be a whole stash of school brooms down in the shed by the pitch," Ginny explains. "Snape locked them up tightly so as long as someone can break through that charms work we should be able to get at them along with whatever balls are in there."

Everyone turns to look expectantly at me. My jaw drops and I gasp. "What are you all staring at me for? You're all capable witches and wizards."

"Yes, but you have a way with charms," Harry points out.

"So does Percy!" I scoff.

"Oh come off it, Hermione. You know you'll be best for the job so why are you fighting us?" Ron half compliments me and half complains. I feel myself blush and avoid eye contact with him.

"I was going to offer to go get my bag from Gryffindor. I stashed a few brooms in my bag, including your Cleansweep," I grumble. "But if you'd all rather use the school brooms then that's fine."

Now it's Ron's turn to look apologetic and awkward. He mumbles something incoherently while Bill looks between the two of us and shakes his head. "Okay then," he proclaims in an attempt to get the group moving. "Let's go down to the pitch, Hermione can work her charms magic, and then we can get some Quidditch in. Sound fair?"

Without waiting for a response, he leads us out the front door and onto the grounds. I fall behind enough so that I'm still walking with the group yet removed enough to avoid conversation. I watch Ron's clueless red head bob along and let out a sight. Ginny turns to see that I've fallen back too far for her liking. "Come on, Hermione! We can't get those brooms without you!" She calls. I roll my eyes and jog to catch up.

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked the new chapter! Another new one should be posted in about 2 weeks. As always, thank you to those who have been reading and reviewing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"So how do we want to pick teams?" Ginny asks after I've broken into the shed and distributed the school brooms.

"I say anyone who's ever captained the Gryffindor team gets to be a captain and we pick from there," Charlie suggests with a hint of feigned arrogance. Bill, Ginny, and Ron grumble their disapproval.

"That sounds good to me!" exclaims Harry. Ginny rolls her eyes and he winks at her. "Don't worry, Gin. I'll pick you first," I hear him mumble close to her ear before going to stand beside Charlie to pick teams.

"I think it's only fair that Harry gets to pick first," Bill says, elbowing Charlie jokingly. Much to Charlie's annoyance, everyone mumbles their agreement.

With a smile, Harry pronounces, "Well, of course I pick Ginny first. Best Chaser Gryffindor ever saw, except for my dad maybe." Ginny rolls her eyes but does not argue the point as she goes to stand behind Harry.

"Right then I pick Ron," Charlie announces. After many pick up games in the orchard at the Burrow, Ron has more than proven himself as a Keeper.

I look pointedly at Harry, hoping that he'll pick me. While I know I'm awful at Quidditch, I would really appreciate not being chosen last. Harry avoids my pleading gaze as he examines the line of us waiting to be chosen before deciding on his next pick. "Bill," he says finally, looking guiltily at the ground. I cross my arms in front of me and let out an angry puff of air.

"Fleur," Charlie calls her over to his side.

Now only Percy and I remain and even though Percy isn't much better at Quidditch than I am, he is certainly a more confidant flyer. Unable to avoid his guilty conscience any longer, Harry picks me for his team and I stomp angrily to stand next to Ginny, leaving Percy for Charlie's team.

"Okay, so we'll have a Keeper, two Chasers, and a Seeker on each team," Charlie explains. "It seems wrong to have Beaters given our current situation." Everyone holds their breath for a moment thinking on how in sync Fred and George were as Beaters for Gryffindor.

Once the rules have been decided on, we make our way into the pitch and release the balls to begin our supposedly friendly game of Quidditch. Silently, our team decides that Bill will play Keeper, Harry will be Seeker, and Ginny and I will be Chasers. After the first time Ginny passes me the Quaffle and I drop it only to be intercepted by Fleur, Ginny becomes a lone Chaser and I just follow her up and down the field in an attempt to stay out of the way. She manages to get a few goals past Ron but he also blocks a good number. Fleur and Percy also score a few points, but I am somewhat suspicious that Bill let Fleur get the Quaffle through the hoops. Harry and Charlie swoop around looking for the old Snitch we let out and seem to be fairly evenly matched but it's clear that Harry has more natural talent for the sport.

On one of my trips up the field, I find that I'm not quite paying attention but rather contemplating how nice it would be to get a Quaffle past Ron. After he shouted that I wasn't his girlfriend so that all of Hogwarts could hear if they so chose, I find that I'm still irritated with the redheaded object of my affections. Apparently my desire to beat Ron at something made me accelerate up the field faster than expected and I've reached the hoops before Ginny. I see that Fleur and Percy are holding her up and before I can register what is happening, she's tossed me the Quaffle. By some miracle, I catch it and it's just Ron and me. I realize that now is my opportunity to make my daydream come true, so with all of the strength I can muster, I heave the ball towards the hoop to his left—after watching him play Keeper enough times, I've learned that he has a tendency not to block that side. Even better, by yet another miracle, the Quaffle actually goes through the hoop.

"Merlin's beard!" I shout as Ginny races towards me and pulls me into a congratulatory hug mid air. "Did you see that?! I actually scored a goal!"

"Oh, Hermione! You're not totally helpless after all!" Ginny exclaims. Percy and Fleur also come over to congratulate me as Ron dejectedly flies down to collect the Quaffle before it hits the ground. A bit of guilt tarnishes my triumphant glee momentarily, but then I remember how hurt I felt earlier and I no longer feel guilty.

After Ginny scores two more goals giving us a lead of 70 to 40, Charlie and Harry spot the Snitch at what seems like the same exact moment. The rest of us freeze and watch as they dive from opposite ends of the field towards the Snitch hovering at the center of the pitch but closer to Charlie's end. Charlie seems to be gaining on the Snitch faster than Harry, but it changes direction just before he can reach it and shoots straight up into the air. Being further away, Harry has more time to change direction and pull up towards the fluttering golden ball, which is approaching the underside of Ginny's broom faster and faster. She is so preoccupied with observing her brother and her boyfriend's obvious skill that she doesn't even think to move. Just before it reaches the tail of her broom, Harry grabs the Snitch nearly crashing into Ginny in the process. However, with his amazing flying reflexes, he is able to wheel around and pull her into a victorious hug. From my position about two yards away, I observe that the hug is about to turn into a kiss so I clear my throat in warning to remind them that they are surrounded by Ginny's older brothers.

"Good game, Potter," Charlie compliments Harry as we all touch down at the center of the pitch. Everyone starts clapping each other on the back and shaking hands in congratulations. "Glad you weren't at Hogwarts at the same time as me or you might have put me out of a job."

"I don't know," says Harry. "Even after my best games I would hear some amazing stories about the fantastic Charlie Weasley."

Charlie bumps him on the shoulder. "You're not half bad, Potter. I guess since you can beat me at Quidditch I'll have to approve of you dating my baby sister. If you can beat me, you can definitely keep up with her."

Harry nearly chokes on air as Charlie and his brothers break into a fit of laughter and Ginny turns beet red with anger.

"Oi! Shut up, Charlie!" She growls as she stalks towards her brother, wand drawn.

He immediately shrinks back with hands in the air afraid she might send a bat-bogey hex his way. With a nervous gulp, he practically whimpers, "Oh, Ginny, you know you don't need our permission to date anyone. We just like to look out for you."

The other Weasley boys shrink back, not wanting to be drawn into what could be a possible explosion of Weasley anger. Surprisingly, Ginny backs off with a wicked smile. "You're right, Charlie. I don't need your permission to do anything. However, I don't appreciate the implication that I require looking after, especially after the year I've had. Now I'm going to go act of my own will as you implied I'm allowed to do and go make out with my boyfriend for the next half hour until we have to meet Mum."

Without another word, she spins on her heel and grabs Harry's arm, pulling him off before he can protest. He has a nervous blush on his face that I'm sure is brought on by embarrassment at the manner in which he was revealed to be Ginny's boyfriend. I think a good part of it is also fear of what Ron will say, or do, next time they see each other. The Weasley boys stand around flabbergasted, staring at each other as if they are unsure as to whether or not they should chase after their little sister who has abandoned Harry's and her broom at the edges of the pitch for us to put away and is now nowhere to be seen. They must have taken off at a run so that they could evade such an intervention before finding a quiet, private place for a good snog.

Fleur is first to regain sense. Clearing her throat she suggests, "Perhaps we should put away ze brooms and 'ead back to ze castle?"

"Lovely idea, Fleur," Percy chimes in. "I'm sure Mum and Dad could use some help with the—erm—travel arrangements."

I gather the extra brooms when we've reached the edge of the field and have a sudden realization that I've lefts my purple beaded bag up in the first year girls' dorm in Gryffindor tower. "Oh! Could someone take these brooms for me?" I beg. "I need to run up to Gryffindor and collect a few things before we leave."

Bill, Fleur, and Charlie each take a broom off my hands and I begin to jog up the grounds so that I'll have plenty of time to reach the tower. Before I break away from the group, I see Ron give me a scrutinizing glance out of the corner of my eye. I take this as a sign to run faster, wanting to avoid a potential fight before we have to spend five hours on a train together. When I reach the entrance to the castle, I hear a very winded Ron shout, "Hermione! Wait up!"

With a stab of guilt, knowing that he ran up the grounds to catch up to me, I stop and turn as he closes the gap between us in five long strides.

"I'll walk with you," he offers, gesturing for me to enter Hogwarts in front of him.

I step in and begin my ascent up to Gryffindor tower, with the intent of taking as many short cuts as possible so that I won't have to spend too much time alone with Ron while I'm still mad at him. After we reach the first floor landing, I ask resignedly, "What do you want, Ronald?"

"Er—I wanted to apologize," he mumbles, scratching the back of his neck nervously. I lead the way to a tapestry that covers one of the shortcuts to the third floor we used to take, but it caved in during the battle.

After letting out a frustrated groan, I try to move the conversation forward. "And what would you be apologizing for exactly?"

Ron misinterprets my frustration as aimed at him and not the destroyed castle as he shrinks a few inches away from me. I instantly feel guilty and try to soften my facial expression in an attempt to look more welcoming. It must work well enough because he says, "Well, I clearly hurt your feelings before when you were just trying to help. So, I'm sorry I guess."

The apology is almost perfect by Ron standards, except for one thing. "You're sorry 'you guess'? That's the best you can do?"

I practically stomp up the main staircase between the first and second floor just around the corner from our blocked short cut. Halfway up, I feel Ron's hand on my forearm and it stops me in my tracks. I turn to look at him two steps below me so that we are at the same eye level for once.

"Hermione, Please listen to me," he pleads.

I fold my arms petulantly across my chest and shrug to indicate he should carry on.

"I'm sorry I was being difficult about going to see my family earlier. You were right. Being with them did make it easier to deal with what happened to Fred."

I try to fight the urge to speak, but I can't resist. "Anything else?"

"I'm sorry I threw the fact that you're not my girlfriend in your face," he shakes his head at the ground, ashamed. "While it _is _the truth, it was wrong because I only said it to hurt you. I know that I want you to be my girlfriend more than anything right now, so I'm sorry. I acted like an idiot."

I blush insanely when he says he wants to be my boyfriend, a fact that does not go unnoticed by Ron who looks up at me and smiles. I refuse to give in that easily though, so with my arms still crossed in front of me, I feign annoyance and ask, "Is that your way of asking me to be your girlfriend, Ron Weasley? Because if it is, you'll have to do a lot better than that. I've waited far too long for you to come around to just give in at the first mention of…"

I don't get to finish what I was going to say because Ron has stepped up to stand beside me, pulls me to his chest, and silences me with a kiss. This one is different from our first kiss. While there's just as much passion, it's slower and gentler. And instead of both of us being frenzied and in the moment, Ron is totally in control, I on the other hand am taken off guard and don't really catch on to what is happening at first. If you asked me five minutes ago the best kiss of my life, I would have said my first kiss with Ron, but now my answer would be different. Just as I find myself wanting more, Ron pulls away and rests his forehead on mine.

Through heavy breaths after being deprived of air from the earth-shattering kiss, Ron says, "I'm sorry I didn't follow through on my second kiss promise earlier today. I'm sorry I didn't kiss you years ago and wasted so much time being completely oblivious to what was right in front of me. I'm sorry I didn't ask you before now, so Hermione, will you be my girlfriend?"

My heart flutters as I pull back far enough so I can get a good look at his face shining with happiness. I feel myself smile widely as I answer, "Well, it certainly took you long enough." I take the opportunity to kiss him, but he pulls away after a few seconds.

"So is that a yes?" He asks uncertainly.

I roll my eyes and laugh. "Of course it is, now kiss me!"

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked the new chapter! Thanks to everyone who as reviewed so far! I'll be posting again in two weeks. I wish it could be sooner, but school has kept me pretty busy so I don't have much time to write. Please leave reviews if you're liking to story so far (or even if you're not)! I love to hear your feedback.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"So is there anything else you're sorry for that I should know about?" I ask Ron as we walk hand in hand out of Gryffindor tower. He holds the portrait hole open for me in a very boyfriend-ly manner and I smile to myself.

"Hmm, well, I guess I'm sorry I didn't let you finish your adorable rant earlier about the proper way to ask you to be my girlfriend. I would've like to see where that was going, but you have a tendency to never stop talking sometimes, so I figured I had to shut you up somehow if I was ever going to get around to snogging you again," he says with a laugh.

I elbow him in the side, jerking our interlocked hands in a way that I'm sure is uncomfortable for him. "You can be such a boy," I grumble.

"Don't deny that you like kissing me, Hermione Granger. I know you enjoy it. You get the same look on your face afterward as you do after you've just finished a particularly nasty essay for Potions."

I roll my eyes. "Oh, and you know this after experiencing such look, let's see, three times."

"Well, the essay thing I can't be sure of—you went to the library a lot when we were at Hogwarts. Maybe you were only happy about finishing your Potions homework when Harry and I were around to rub it in our faces," he flinches away from me as I go to elbow him again but manages to keep our hands interlocked, "but you would be correct in terms of the snogging equaling a grand total of three times. However, I'd like to make it a lot more than three if you'd let me."

He leans down as if you kiss me, but I pull away, unsure of how long this one will last and knowing we have to meet his family in less than five minutes and we are still on the third floor. Instead of letting him kiss me—however much I want him to—I practically yank his hand and pull him down the stairs so that we won't be late. I think about what he's just said and feel a pang of nostalgia and disappointment. I love Harry and Ron more than anything and I wouldn't change the decision I made to go on this journey with them for anything. But I also love school and learning. After receiving my acceptance letter to Hogwarts, I always imagined I'd finish all seven years and then go on to begin a successful career in the magical world. By skipping my seventh year, I fear I've missed that opportunity.

"What's wrong?" Ron asks, swinging our hands so that he can nudge my side playfully.

"Hmm?" I am suddenly broken from my train of thought and realize he has just asked me a question. "Oh, nothing," I evade answering. "Everything's fine."

Now it's Ron's turn to roll his eyes. "Oh please, Hermione. I've spent almost a whole year with only you and Harry as company. I think I know when something is bothering you."

"I want to come back," I announce, having made my decision. "To Hogwarts," I clarify when I see Ron's confusion. "I want to finish my seventh year, if McGonagall will let me that is."

Ron doesn't respond right away and I see the familiar pinch in his nose that tells me he's thinking really hard. I immediately feel guilty for making him worry about something that might not even happen right now, but I also feel defensive, knowing that he might tell me not to bother going back to Hogwarts.

Thankfully he doesn't fight me, but rather says, "Well, there's no use dwelling on it now. We've got a long train ride ahead of us and all summer to think about it."

"Yes, of course," I say, but I'm a bit put off by the fact that he's implying my returning to Hogwarts is a decision we need to make together. We finally reach the entrance to the Great Hall where the Weasleys have gathered at the end of the Gryffindor table. Along each house table lie lumps of fabric. Each lump is made up of red and gold, blue and bronze, yellow and black, the occasional green and silver drapes, or very sparsely purple that seem to have been pulled from a variety of hangings that are used to decorate the school. The Weasleys are huddled around a pile of red and gold fabric that appears to have once been a banner devoted to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I realize that the lump is actually Fred's body, shrouded in red and gold fabric.

"McGonagall wanted everyone who died here to leave with a piece of Hogwarts as a thank you," Harry explains upon seeing my confused expression. His voice is quiet as I'm standing right next to him, but it seems to echo around the quiet group. "Each person was given something from their house or a Hogwarts banner if they didn't go to school here."

"That's very thoughtful," I comment, nodding my approval. It really is a beautiful gesture. Hogwarts is the place these people's souls left the earth as they tried to defend it. Now Hogwarts will protect them on their journeys to their final resting places. I clear my throat of the lump of emotion that seems to be sitting there. "Where will they all go on the train?" I ask awkwardly, not wanting to seem crass, but needing to satisfy my curiosity.

"Having them sitting in the compartments with everyone seems rather morbid," Percy chimes in, just as eager to clear up any confusion as I would be. "A whole car has been designated for the bodies and the benches in each cart have been extended so that each body can remain safe for the duration of the train ride."

"It'll be the first time that George has left his side since this all ended," Ginny whispers across Harry.

"When did Mum leave?" Ron asks shock clear in his voice.

"She greeted Andromeda this morning and held Teddy while she saw to Tonks and Lupin," says Ginny. "Something you would know if you would've stopped being stubborn and just visited your family."

I can tell Ron is about to fight back, so I grip his bicep tightly to hold him back and give him a warning look. Now is neither the time nor the place to get into a row with Ginny.

"Well, it looks as if everything is in order," Mrs. Weasley's voice calls us to attention. "If everyone works together, we can levitate Fred down to the train without disturbing him. One person casting the spell would certainly jostle him too much."

We jump into action and divide on either side of Fred's body. When he sees George line up as well, Mr. Weasley clears his throat and says gently, "George, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. You and Mum can walk down in front of us."

"No," George responds quickly. His voice is raspy and he has to cough several times as if to acclimate himself to speaking. After what seems like several minutes of waiting for him to speak again, he explains, "He'd do this for me."

No one argues with George any further and on Mrs. Weasley's count, we levitate Fred's body off the table and slowly walk down the hall as he glides gently in the middle of our group. We carefully make our way over debris and roots in the grounds. I try to get one last look at the ruins of Hogwarts as we leave the gates, but I trip and nearly fall on a loose rock before catching myself. It's the slowest walk down to Hogsmeade I've ever taken, but it also seems like the most meaningful. Once we make it to the train, we awkwardly maneuver ourselves into the narrow corridors of the Hogwarts Express so that Fred is still suspended gently in midair between us. We reach the compartment that's been assigned to Fred and we slowly lower him onto the extended bench. Mrs. Weasley asked permission to have the other bench unoccupied so that members of the Weasley family, mainly George, could take turns sitting with him. The other compartments will each transport two bodies—Tonks and Lupin will be in the next compartment. After we've safely situated Fred for the ride and cast protective charms to ensure he doesn't get bumped during the journey, we file out of the compartment one by one until the only people remaining are George and Mr. Weasley.

"Alright, you lot," Mrs. Weasley calls us into a compartment in the car of the train, "let's try to get some rest. We'll have a bit of a tight squeeze in just this one compartment, so why don't you spread out a bit, but don't go too far."

Ron, Harry, Ginny, and I shuffle out of the packed compartment and into one three doors down. Without all of the trunks, owls, and cats, we have much more room than usual. I feel a pang of guilt at having abandoned Crookshanks so long ago.

"Ginny, do you know where Crookshanks got to after Bill and Fleur's wedding?" I ask, breaking the silence that settled over us as we wait for the train to begin to move.

Leaning her head on Harry's shoulder and curling up as if she's about to take a long nap, she says, "I looked after him for a while until I went to Hogwarts, but according to Mum he got restless and started wandering off every once in a while. He always came back when he got lonely though. I think he was looking for you. Then we all had to go into hiding at Easter and he got even more confused. I reckon he's meandering around Aunt Muriel's garden."

"Hmm," I let out a sigh of relief. I lean my head back against the plush cushion of the bench I'm sharing with Ron who suddenly claps his hands very loudly and announces, "I'm bored. Who wants to play a round of wizard's chess?"

I roll my eyes and point out, "Ronald, your mother was right. We should be getting some rest. The train won't be arriving at King's Cross until very late and then we have to drive back to the Burrow. It will be nearly dawn by the time we get there."

"Yeah, well, this could very well be the last time we're all on the Hogwarts Express together. I say we play wizard's chess and then get a load of candy from the trolley so that we can stay awake."

Harry chuckles. "He's right, Hermione. I know that I'm not planning on coming back to Hogwarts next year. Why not make the best of our final train ride together. It's kind of like what we'd be doing if we actually had our seventh year."

Ron looks at me triumphantly. "See! Harry agrees with me. I know the last few days and months have been terrible, but can't we just pretend that we're riding home from just finishing seventh year."

We lock eyes in a stare down that normally I wouldn't back down from, but Ron gives me an impish grin as if he's about to pounce on me and either snog me, tickle me, or attack me, so I surrender. With a sigh of defeat I say, "Oh fine. But I refuse to play exploding snap."

Ron rolls his eyes without wiping the grin off his face. "Yeah fine. Now can you please get the chess set out of your bloody bag?!"

"I'm not a slave," I scoff. Nonetheless, I whip my bag open before Ron can grab it from me and mumble under my breath, "Just because I'm your girlfriend now doesn't mean—"

"Excuse me," Ginny interrupts, "did I hear you correctly or have I started hallucinating after undergoing emotional trauma throughout the last year? Are you two _dating_?"

She and Harry look at us as if we've smacked them across the face. Ron and I look between one another and back at Harry and Ginny feeling trapped. I can't believe I was so stupid as to refer to myself as Ron's girlfriend. On our way up to the common room, we decided not to announce our new relationship until after Fred's funeral so that Ron's family wouldn't have to pretend to be happy for us. We were also hoping that it would just come about naturally one day; perhaps on our wedding day.

"Well, I mean, _dating_ just sounds so old fashioned," Ron says trying to evade the question. "Right along the same lines as courting or betrothed."

"I'd have to agree," I try to make his story more plausible so that we can successfully distract them from ever receiving an answer. "Honestly," I continue, "what's the exact definition of dating anyways? If it follows the literal sense of the word where a pair goes out for a fancy dinner or similar activity where money is spent in order to impress each other into engaging in sexual liaisons then that is certainly not what Ron and I are doing."

"It's not?" Ron asks dumbstruck.

"Ronald!" I shriek, smacking his arm. Now he's officially confirmed what I accidentally said. Fuming, I correct him, "No it is not. At least not in that sense of the word."

"And why is that?" He actually seems offended; as if I've just told him I'm not his girlfriend. Meanwhile, I sneak a glance across the compartment to Harry and Ginny who are still watching us in awe and confusion.

"Well, it's not as if we've actually gone on a date ever," I explain.

"But what about the second part?" he asks persistently. "About the _sexual _stuff," he clarifies, lowering his voice as if that will prevent Harry and his little sister from overhearing.

I instantly blush and whisper, "Ron, that is not a discussion to have here or now."

While Ron and I stare at each other in frustration, Harry clears his throat and says, "How about that wizard's chess?"

I dig around in my bag for the board and sack of pieces and have to reach my arm nearly up to my elbow to grab them—a rather unsettling sight, seeing your arm disappear in a tiny handbag. I toss them on the ground and lean back in my seat, crossing my arms in front of me with a "hmf". Ron sits uneasily next to me, unsure of whether or not he can join Harry on the ground to play. Rather than respond, I gesture at the spot across from where Harry has just sat cross-legged on the ground leaning against Ginny's legs, uncrossing my arms and then refolding them almost instantly. Ron gulps visibly and slowly slinks onto the floor.

After a tense silence while Harry and Ron set up the chessboard, Ginny comments, "Well, it's nice to see that even if you two are—er—dating that you still have these little tiffs. Some things never change, I suppose."

Harry snorts a laugh but attempts to disguise it as a cough upon seeing me shoot daggers at him.

"Oh, lighten up, Hermione," Ron reprimands me, risking a serious head injury from my foot resting only inches away from where he's seated. "We said this ride was meant to be like what our last ride on the Hogwarts Express would have been like had we not gone on an extended camping trip."

"Yes, we did, so it makes perfect sense for me to be annoyed with you," I retort bitterly. While I am annoyed that he's trying to tell me what to do, I realize he does have a point and feel myself start to back down.

"Okay, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't be dating at this point," Ron says casually as if Harry and Ginny aren't even in the room. "I was working up the nerve to ask you out all last year."

"No you weren't," I scoff, loosening my arms in front of my chest, but still keeping them crossed combatively.

"Sure I was! You're just not the easiest person to approach." The voice gets quiet as he finishes his thought and I want to argue back but Harry and Ginny are both giving me a look that clearly says "don't even go there" because obviously Ron is right. Instead, I sit back further in my seat, pull my legs onto the bench, and rummage through my bag for a book to read.

"Fine then," I say pulling out_ Goblin Wars of the Twelfth Century_, "if we're acting like this is just another train ride back from Hogwarts, then I'm going to catch up on my reading."

"Because you haven't done that enough this year," Harry says laughingly and I can't help but smile.

Setting my book on the bench beside me I ask, "Then what do you suggest I do for the duration of this train ride?"

"Act as if you've just finished your seventh year at the top of your class and you're dating my brother, would be a good start," says Ginny, gesturing between Ron and me to imply I should sit beside him.

Ron gives me a playful smile. "Yeah come sit next to me and be impressed by my wizard's chess prowess. We are dating after all and that's what I'm supposed to do right? Impress you?"

"Oh I knew that would come back to haunt me," I groan as I slide grudgingly onto the floor of the compartment next to Ron. The train lurches forward and Ron drapes his left arm gently around my waist; a comfortable gesture on his part, as if we've been dating for months. I feel like I should object given that Harry and Ginny can see and we've just become a couple, but I also enjoy the feeling of having Ron so close to me. Besides, the cat's already out of the bag when it comes to Harry and Ginny so there's no need to hide our relationship from them. I give into the moment and look around the compartment at my friends. Harry and Ron are playing wizard's chess as if they're still in first year, and it becomes clear after a few moves that Ron will win once again. Ginny is massaging Harry's shoulders from her seat on the bench behind Harry, occasionally letting her hair fall over his shoulder so that she can drop a kiss on the side of his forehead without her brother seeing. Once in a while, she's not so discrete and Ron gives an angry grunt that induces an eye roll from Ginny. I suppose this _is _what life would be like had I been at Hogwarts this past year.

* * *

A/N: I hope you liked the new chapter. I'm trying to write as quickly as I can. You can expect the next new one in about 2-3 weeks. Thank you to those who have been reading and reviewing! I really appreciate your comments!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

After a long train ride and a drive in a Ministry car that Mr. Weasley was able to procure for us—during which I embarrassingly fell asleep on Ron's shoulder sandwiched between him and Harry—we're finally back at the Burrow. Fred is lying in his and George's room and two camp beds have been set up in Percy's room so that he can sleep there along with Charlie who has been kicked out of his and Bill's room—sharing a room with Bill and Fleur may be a little awkward. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley have escorted George upstairs, persuading him to stay in Percy's room and get some sleep as they left the kitchen. Bill and Fleur have also retired for the night, leaving Percy, Charlie, Harry, Ginny, Ron, and me standing around the kitchen looking for something to do. Percy and Charlie plop down at the table and the latter pulls out a deck of cards from his pocket. Clearly they don't want to interrupt what is sure to be a fight in Percy's room between their parents and George who would rather stay by Fred's side. I can see the horizon lightening through the kitchen window indicating it won't be long until sunrise.

"Well, I suppose we should be getting to bed," I say to Ron, Harry, and Ginny.

"Yeah, you're right," Ginny agrees then lets out a yawn. "Not all of us got a nice little nap on the way back from the train station."

She winks menacingly at me and I stomp on her foot as discretely as possible. I was really hoping no one would've noticed in the dark car. Hopefully no Weasleys that didn't already know about the new developments in Ron's and my relationship caught on.

"You're staying in my room, Hermione," she says through gritted teeth as she uses her other foot to massage the spot I just crushed. "I'll see you in the morning, Harry." She reaches up—a rather insignificant reach given that she is taller than me and Harry is shorter than Ron—to give him a goodnight kiss.

"I'll be up in a minute, Gin," I call after her. I nod towards the door separating the kitchen from the other room and lead Harry and Ron into the living room. "I know we're all exhausted, but I think we need to talk about the fact that now that it's clear we're no longer at Hogwarts, people are bound to come poking around here tomorrow, well, today, looking for answers about what happened."

Harry sighs dejectedly and scratches the back of his neck nervously. "Yeah, I know. I was hoping that by ignoring it we might be able to avoid that part."

"My family needs to deal with Fred's funeral. They can't be worrying about reporters and the like stalking our house looking for the scoop on what we've been up to this past year. _I _haven't even told _them _yet!"

"Yes, Ron, I know," I say annoyed, placing a soothing hand on his arm, which makes him blush so I pull my hand back instantly. Harry on the other hand chortles causing me to elbow him and Ron to glare at him. "That's why," I continue after clearing my throat, "I was going to suggest a press conference."

"What do you mean?" Harry practically groans.

"We set the terms for the interview," I explain. "I'm sure Kingsley would help us organize everything. We could probably even host it at the Ministry so it wouldn't bother your family," I add for Ron's benefit.

"And when do you suggest we have this little interview?" Harry asks skeptically.

Feeling unsure suddenly of my plan, I mumble, "This evening." Harry and Ron gape at me and begin to protest but I hold up a hand to cut them off so that I can explain. "If we hold it off until after the funeral, then the reporters are sure to sneak in and cause a scene. We should get this over with before the rumors start flying. I'm sure there are already some crazy things being said."

"Fine," grumbles Harry.

"Yeah, I guess you're right again, Hermione," Ron concedes giving me a defeated smile, which is still adorable even though I shouldn't find it cute because clearly Ron is upset by this plan.

"Okay, if we're all agreed, then we should send and owl to Kingsley right away so that we can get everything in line. Do you think Pigwidgeon is still around, Ron?"

He chuckles and says, "Oh I'm sure that useless bird is still flitting about somewhere around here."

"We can send a note when we get up to Ron's room," Harry offers. "But I really think it's time to go to bed."

"Yeah, sure," I agree, looking awkwardly from Ron to Harry then back to Ron for a moment too long before averting my eyes to the floor.

Harry snorts and proclaims, "I'm going to bed so that you two can have a good snog goodnight. See you in the morning, Hermione!"

Both Ron and I blush furiously as Harry leaves the room. We're alone for the first time since our trip to the Gryffindor common room hours ago.

"So," says Ron before realizing he has nothing more to say.

I rock back and forth on my heels searching for something to add to the nonexistent conversation. Before I can think any further, Ron's gathered me into a tight hug and his lips have found mine. I feel I'm about to get lost in the kiss, so I put my arms on his chest and push him away slightly.

"Ron, we can't do this right here! Your brothers are in the next room and they'll surely suspect something is going on once they realize that we're in here alone without Harry."

"Why do you always have to be right?" he complains.

"Will you be okay tonight?" I ask suddenly serious as I recall his crying last night.

He pulls away from our hug awkwardly and mumbles ashamedly, "Yeah, Hermione. I'll be fine."

I put a hand on his arm to turn him back towards me. "Ron, there's nothing wrong with being upset," I try to console him. "You lost a brother. It's okay to cry, no need to be ashamed."

He looks softly into my eyes and cups my chin in one of his large hands. "I know," he says, "but it's not just Fred I'm sad about. We have a lot more than just that to be sad about."

I grab onto his wrist attached to the hand still holding my face and lean my head heavily into its supportive grip. I sigh feeling both sadness of all of the loss we've felt over the last few years but also comfort in knowing that Ron is here with me now. "I know," I agree, imagining how I would be feeling if Harry or Ron hadn't made it through the battle.

After a shaky inhale, Ron begins to explain, "I don't know what I would do if you—"

"Let's not do this now," I interrupt him, resting a hand on his chest to stop him. "We're too tired for a big emotional breakthrough."

Rather than say anything in response, Ron nods, leans down, and gives me one last kiss goodnight. "'Night, 'Mione."

I smile at the nickname and command, "Try to get some sleep, Ronald. I know the idea of nightmares can keep you awake, but you mustn't let them. You deserve some rest just as much as Harry or anyone else in your family."

He yawns and smiles sleepily while still managing to roll his eyes. "I know, Hermione."

"Okay, now you leave first and I'll go out shortly after, maybe they won't notice we've been in here alone this whole time."

Ron kisses me on the cheek, which instantly begins to burn in the spot where his lips just were, and goes to leave. Upon glancing into the kitchen, he chuckles. "I don't think we need to worry about Percy and Charlie noticing we've been unchaperoned."

I walk up behind Ron and peer under his left arm resting on the doorframe. Percy and Charlie have fallen asleep at the table with cards splayed around them from an abandoned game of go fish. Ron's arm falls slyly from its spot on the doorframe above my head to rest on my shoulders. He pulls me into his side and we walk up the stairs, leaning into each other for the physical support. Too soon we've reached Ginny's room and I sneak quietly inside. The sounds of soft breathing tell me that Ginny is fast asleep, and when I approach the bed, I notice that she hasn't even changed into pajamas or gotten under the covers—she's sleeping on top of the bed in her jeans and T-shirt. Seeing that the camp bed is not set up, I take a cue from her and fall down on the bed fully clothed. Within seconds, I fall asleep.

* * *

I wake up feeling as if I got no sleep at all. I sit up and shake the fuzzy feeling from my head. I glance over the heap of rumpled clothes that is Ginny to see the clock on her bedside table: ten o'clock. A much more reasonable time to be waking up than yesterday, but still too early given my bedtime last night, well, this morning. Carefully, I roll off of the bed, but the shift in the mattress causes Ginny to stir.

"Hermione?" she asks confusedly.

"Sorry, Ginny!" I half whisper in case she decides to go back to sleep. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Did you sleep in my bed?" she sounds even more perplexed.

"Yes, sorry. Well, it was more sleeping on your bed than in it, to be honest. The cot wasn't set up, and I didn't want to wake you when I came up, so I figured I'd share with you. I hope you don't mind."

Ginny sits up and ruffles her knotted mass of hair. With a yawn, she says, "Not at all. Do you suppose breakfast is ready?"

"By the smell of it, I'd say so." The smell of bacon, eggs, and sausage is wafting through Ginny's closed door. "I was just going to change and head downstairs."

"I'll join you."

We change quickly and try to tame our bedhead before going down to the kitchen for breakfast. Almost the whole family is gathered around the table, including Harry and Ron. I notice that Mr. Weasley is currently missing along with Percy. Much to my surprise, George is sitting at the table silently eating a piece of toast; the chair next to him is empty where Fred would usually sit. Ginny sits in the empty chair next to Harry leaving the option of sitting in the rightfully vacant seat next to George, or at the other end of the table near Bill and Fleur. I sit down next to Fleur, but catch a glimpse of Ron glaring at Ginny down the table. She bats her eyelashes innocently at her brother and begins piling food on her plate while Ron grumpily folds his arms in front of his chest. I try to hide my embarrassed smile by letting my hair fall in front of my face as I lean over my plate and eat my breakfast.

"So I hear you, Ron, and Harry are giving a press conference this evening," Bill suddenly proclaims causing me to nearly choke on a bite of sausage.

"Where did you hear that?" I ask around a series of coughs. My state of near distress draws Harry and Ron's attention from the other end of the table and they look up startled.

"Dad sent an owl just before you and Ginny came down. Harry and Ron were about to tell us all about it I'm sure."

"Ha," Ron scoffs. "Don't look at me! It was her idea!" He is clearly embarrassed by the attention being put on him with the announcement of our press conference. To make his point even more clear, he points down the table at me and blushes when he sees me scowling at him.

"Oh, very mature, Ronald," I say, annoyed that he is making me out to be the bad guy here.

"We all agreed to it, Ron," Harry points out in my defense.

"Yeah, well I was deprived of sleep. Who's saying I haven't changed my mind since then?" Ron asks grudgingly.

I roll my eyes. "Honestly, Ron. We went over this last night. If we don't come out with the truth of what we've been up to the reporters are going to come nosing around here."

Bill nods in understanding. "Better you go to them and settle all of this on your own terms."

Mrs. Weasley drops the pan she's been scrubbing in the sink and puts her soapy hands on her hips as she turns to face us at the table. "I don't understand why they can't just leave you three alone. You've had enough running and hiding from people, you should be free to be children!"

I can see she's on the brink of tears at the thought of what we've had to go through in the past year. Ron grimaces uncomfortably before correcting his mother. "Mum, we're not kids anymore. We're all of age."

"That doesn't mean you should have been exposed to the terrible things that you've seen in the last few years," she fights back. Her expression softens as her eyes land on Harry. She comes around the table to stand between his chair and Ginny's, making her daughter shove over a bit. Holding his face in either hand, Mrs. Weasley looks down at Harry in the pitying yet comforting way mothers can and says, "And Harry should have never had the childhood he had. War is terrible, especially with the damage done to children."

Harry looks around awkwardly not knowing how to react to Mrs. Weasley's protective instincts, so he nods in response and her hands fall away and she returns to the sink to resume her scrubbing.

I clear my throat and pipe in, "With all due respect, Mrs. Weasley, we have to be adults now. Like Ron said, we _are _of age, and we've been on the run searching for ways to take down Voldemort, like Dumbledore instructed Harry." I'm careful to leave out any mention of horcruxes. "While in a perfect world we wouldn't have had so much responsibility at such a young age, there's nothing we can do about it now and we must continue to uphold such responsibilities. We were all sorted into Gryffindor for a reason: we are brave. If we back out of our obligations now that would only make us cowards."

I'm simply voicing the facts that I've come to terms with over the last few years. You don't get involved in duels at the Ministry and Hogwarts with people who think the world would be better off without you in it and not realize certain truths about your situation. While I'm unsurprised by the words I just spoke, eight faces stare back at me in various states of confusion and awe.

Ginny is the first to regain the ability to speak. "Wow, Hermione. That was very…wise."

"Cleverest witch of her age," Ron brags proudly throwing me a wink and causing me to blush. I push my forgotten breakfast around on my plate in an attempt to avoid sixteen eyes staring intently at me.

"Just because she's right doesn't mean it's fair or that everything's okay," Mrs. Weasley corrects her children, scrubbing angrily. "Now finish your breakfast then go outside and act like children."

The command seems so silly that we can't help but chuckle nervously under our breath. Slowly, our quiet giggling turns into full-blown laughter and Mrs. Weasley even joins in, clutching her side from the first time we've all laughed in days.

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A/N: I hope you liked the new chapter! Reviews are always appreciated!


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